


the lonely house

by thesmallfangirl



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Grumpy Kimi, Illnesses, M/M, Merpeople, Seaside
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2019-08-17 14:49:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16518530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesmallfangirl/pseuds/thesmallfangirl
Summary: When the Button-Alonso family move to the sea for there older sons health, they are met with a run down house, a grumpy  lighthouse keeper, and a community with more secretes than it knows what to do with. As the boys settle in, each step brings them closer to something they couldn't even begin to understand





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> new story folks, may be short may be long who know. sorry for any mistakes English isn't my first language

Max helped his brother out of the car, Valtteri leaning heavily on his arm. He gave his brother a rather sceptical look, and with one raised eyebrow remarked “you know I don’t think they thought terribly hard about this.”  
Valtteri nodded it was easy to see what his brother meant. The house, their new home, loomed above them. It was in an advanced state of dilapidation, the white paint peeling of the walls and the windows clinging in place by what looked like sheer force of will. Valtteri couldn’t see too well in the half light of dusk but he rather suspected that the roof had more than a few holes in it.  
Max snorted and remarked ever honestly “I thought we were coming here for your health, at this rate you’ll be lucky to see out the week.”  
Val snorted “yeah thanks for that assessment, just what I needed”  
Max had managed to get Val to the top of the porch steps before their fathers had unloaded the small amount of luggage they had brought with them ahead of the moving truck. It seemed that their papa had much the same opinion of the situation as Max had.  
Fernando turned to his husband “I think we should have agreed to the house viewing, before buying this place” he looked at Jenson, his eyes wide and concerned flitted between his husband and the boy, who by now looked like he was held up solely by the grip of his younger brother.  
Jenson at least had the grace to look ashamed of himself, but responded with a simple “I think we had better just get inside we can after all argue about this later”  
Fernando gave him a look that said yes they would very much be arguing about this later thank you very much and followed his husband inside.  
Max poked Valtteri’s side, “do you think they’ll be a lot of spiders in here.”  
Vall looked around at the spider webs coating the landing and hanging in long streamers of the banisters and ceiling, “I’d say we were rather solidly outnumbered”  
Max winced “do you think anyone would object to me sleeping in the car?”  
Valtteri smiled, “don’t worry little brother, you can stay with me I’ll protect you from the tiny arachnids”  
Max looked dubiously at one of the larger webs “I don’t think they’re going to be tiny” he knew also in the back of his mind that there was little Valtteri could do to protect him but he thought this unkind to point out.  
The boys settled down on the foot of the stairs, while their fathers found them somewhere to sleep and cleaned the place at least a little. Valtteri rested his head on his brother’s shoulder his eyes fluttering closed with fatigue.  
“Do you think we can be happy here?” he asked  
Max forced a smile he knew his bother couldn’t see “I don’t know why not, we’ll be living by the sea… I sure…. I’m sure it will be lovely” he said choking back tears, hoping his brother wouldn’t notice.  
Valtteri peeled eyes open at the sound of sadness in his brothers voice. “I’m sorry.”  
Max shrugged, he smiled again, thin and tight, a smile even he knew looked forced “whatever for”  
Val flicked his nose lightly “you know why, I’m sorry we had to come out here because of me, I’m sorry we had to leave him behind, I know how you felt about him.”  
Max bit back his tears, his throat tightening against the words “its ok Val I know why we had to come, and it’s not like I won’t ever see him again, and we can always write to each other, if I can decipher his awful spelling that is”  
Val smiled a little at that “I’m still sorry though, I’m sorry you have to do so much for me. I’m sorry we hardly ever think of you, or what’s best for you. I suck as an older brother.”  
Max gave his brother a small shove, nothing even so much as to dislodge Val from his shoulder but enough to get his brothers attention. “We are family, I’m your brother. We are supposed to take care of each other, and I’m not sick you are. I don’t mind that you get more attention and time, you need it. I don’t. Val, we’re family, and that means we do whatever it take to keep each other safe, and I’d do anything for you ok.”  
“ok”  
Max grinned “well except for killing spiders, or removing spiders, or really anything to do with spiders, that ones on you”  
Valtteri laughed at that, though when he looked up at his brother he saw the care-worn lines that shouldn’t have been there, the bags under the eyes and the worry on max’s 15 year old face, worry that shouldn’t have been there.  
Whatever Max said he still felt guilty, he knew his fathers, though of course they didn’t mean it, often forgot about Max. He never mentioned it but Val knew it hurt him, they would so often leave Max to his own devices. Such he had become an independent and quiet child, able to amuse himself from such a young age.  
He knew how to cook and clean and take care of himself when his parents were too busy taking care of Valtteri. Max never said anything but Val knew he wanted his fathers at his school events, going to his parent evenings, taking him places, but so much of their lives where devoted to the all-consuming task of keeping Valtteri healthy, and Val hated it. He was a rubbish older brother, Max shouldn’t have to take care of him, he should be taking care of Max.  
The brother in question broke him out of his reverie, “we’ll explore the beach tomorrow, we can go see the rock pools if you’re feeling well enough.”  
Val nodded tiredly, almost asleep against max’s neck when his papa poked his head into the hall way.  
“Bedtime boys” fenando said ushering the boys into a tiny but warm room.  
Max snuggled under the blanket next to Valtteri resting his head on the pillow next to his brother, he commented, “I’ll wake you up if I see a spider”


	2. the man in the lighthouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> max contemplates their new life and the lighthouse keeper delivers the family some food

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for evryones comments i cant belive so many of you where so kinf i hope you enjoy this next chapter

Max woke to the sun streaming in through the thin curtains, the little rays of light bouncing of the ornate mirror, stood on what looked like an old dressing table. He turned to see if his brother was awake yet.  
Valtteri’s eyes where firmly shut and little puffs of air escaped his lip every now and again, Valtteri would never do something so inelegant as to snore, but he wasn’t far off right now. He was clearly still fast asleep deduced Max and with no sign of waking up any time soon. Max glanced at the clock on the bedside table, well that explained it, he thought to himself. 5 am.  
Max sighed, well he thought to himself, there would be little point trying to get back to sleep now since it was quite clear that the light wold not allow it. He slipped out of the bed careful not to wake up his brother and slid on his clothes from the day before that lay in a little heap beside the bed. He left the putting on of his heavy shoes until he was out of the room and there was no chance that he might wake up his brother or his papas.  
Max made his way out of the house and down towards the beach, the cold morning air freezing his breath as it left his lips. Max pulled his coat tight around him against the morning air and made his way down he muddy track toward the beach.  
The bay stretched around the small house as far as the eye could see, the swathes of the bay flowing out from the house and sweeping up into two large hills thar sheltered the beach from the cold winds.  
The village that they had passed through the previous night was hidden by the hill to the right of the house, a small dirt track winding its way from the house and toward civilisation. Upon the further cliff, facing away from the house and out to sea was a lighthouse; stark white against the blue sky of the morning. Max glanced towards it and for a moment thought he saw a figure standing on the steps and gazing out to sea, a second later the figure was gone, so quick that Max thought that he might have imagined it. Maybe he would go an explore the lighthouse a little later and see who it was the worked up there.  
He made his was down to the beach, the tide was still high and the sea lapped against the rocks that surrounded the shoreline. Max settled down on the grassy sand dune and watched the seagulls dip and sour in the wind, the hollow cries piercing the silence of the dawn.  
He sighed; this was an awfully long way from home he thought to himself, despite what he had said to his brother the night before. This place didn’t feel like home, not without Dany anyway. He glanced back towards the house wondering if anyone else was up yet, he hoped that this would all be worth it.  
It had to be, yet Max knew the move was little more than a desperate hail Mary. His brother, even after all the treatment in London had not got any better, if anything he had been getting steadily worse and Max hated to admit it but he was scared, scared of what was happening to his brother, and scared of what might happen if this didn’t work.  
Max was sometimes jealous of the attention Val got, but he never begrudged his brother it. He had meant what he had said the night before, he loved his brother and he wanted him to get better, yet something at the back of Max’s mind was telling him to not hope to fervently for something that may never happen.  
He sighed glancing down at his pocket watch, 7.30. His dad would, at the very least be awake now. Jenson very rarely slept in past 7 am, and besides Max was starving. As he made his way back up the steep path towards the house he saw a figure making his lonely was from it, back hunched and a cane clasped in his right hand. Max waved at him but the figure either didn’t see him or was inclined to ignore him. Max would have placed bets on the latter.  
The figure made his way from the house and back towards the lighthouse, so the place was occupied after all, max hadn’t been imagining things. As his came to the door he saw that the man had placed a basket of food on the door step, laden with bread, milk, cheese and a few tea bags. Max smiled at the kind if slightly odd behaviour of the man, picked up the basket and headed inside.  
Sure enough his father was awake and sitting at the corner of the long breakfast bar near the window. He smiled as he saw max come in, “what have you got there Maxy”  
Max shrugged placing the basket on the table “ the guy from the lighthouse left on the door step.”  
His dad smiled “how kind, I wonder why he didn’t knock, he must of seen me from the window”  
Max didn’t answer but if he was being honest he thought that the man from the lighthouse was not one of the world’s great talkers.  
His dad smiled at him patting the chair beside him, Max slid into his, taking a bit of bread out from the basket and nibbling on it.  
“What do you think of the place then Maxy” asked his dad  
Max shrugged “it’s nice I guess.”  
His dad gave him a wiry smile “it not home is it, it’s a bit too dirty for that.”  
“not yet” he answered “and beside it doesn’t matter what the place looks like as long as it helps Valtteri get better”  
His dad hugged him tight “you’re a good brother Maxy.”  
“The best” said a voice from the corner of the kitchen.  
Val was leant against the door frame looking pale and worn but not even half as bad as he had looked the night before, Max got up helping his brother across the room and into a chair by the window.  
Max cracked open the veranda doors the salty sea air filling the kitchen and bringing a dash of colour to Valtteri’s cheeks, may be this wasn’t going to be so bad after all.  
Valtteri leant down and whispered into his brothers ear “there is a spider on your jacket”  
Max screamed, flinging open the veranda door and racing up the garden, tossing his jacket off as he went desperate to put as much space between it and him as humanly possible , Valtteri cackling manically the whole time  
There had of course been no such spider


	3. the beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> max and val take a trip to the beach and meet the mysterious lighthouse man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again thank you all so much for your kind comments and likes they're what keep my writing

The boy’s after a long campaign of persuasion had managed to convince their parents to allow them an afternoon on the beach by themselves. Fernando had wrapped up Valtteri so thoroughly that, without close inspection, it may be assumed, quite fairly, that Valtteri did not have a neck.  
Max was dressed in a light jacket, insisting that the weather was warm enough to still be dressed as such. Max kept an arm wrapped firmly around Val’s middle holding him close against his side in case his brother stumbled on the way down to the beach.  
Val’s legs trembled beneath him, and felt as he always did the ever present weight of exhaustion. His limbs felt sluggish and achy, and he knew without the help of his brother he would have difficulty making it 10 steps let alone all the way down to the beach.  
Yet despite this he felt more awake than he had in years, he wouldn’t exactly say better but, well certainly not worse and that in itself was a minor miracle. As they got closer to the beach, a slow process that had taken the two boys the better part of half an hour, Val felt a wild joy surge through him. The place was beautiful; he had never seen anything like it.  
His life had been for so many years little more than hospital visits and tests; this had been his fathers’ last attempt to help. An eccentric doctor had taken one look at Valtteri and said there was little that medicine would be able to do for the boy now, and had suggested they take him to the coast. Val to this day wasn’t sure if this had been an entirely medical analysis or a way of the old doctor saying to two distraught parents, give the poor child somewhere nice to die.  
Valtteri had if he was honest always believed it was the later, he had never mentioned this to his brother of course max was under the impression that this place would make his brother better again and the last thing that Valtteri wanted to do was to make his brother face the harsh reality that was never going to happen.  
Max set Valtteri down on a rock beside a small pool, the mid- morning sunlight filtered in through the sparse cloud covering, and danced of the water in the pool. Valtteri slipped of his shoes dipping his toes into the water, he had expected it to be cold, but the water was pleasantly warm around his feet. He watched Max a distance off, running at the waves when they receded and racing away from them when the water returned they favour. Valtteri smiled amercing more of his feet into the clear warm water, the headache that had been ever present dimmed a little, allowing Valtteri to see the world clearer and enjoy a few moments of painless peace.  
When the time came to return to the house both of the boys where exhausted, Max from chasing waves for the better part of 3 hours and Val from doing nothing more arduous that sitting on a rock sunbathing.  
Max struggled to get Valtteri to his feet, he had no idea how they were going to get his back up the hill. It was clear that the energy Val had mustered that morning had long since vanished. They were about to sit back down and Max go for help when they noticed the form of the lighthouse keeper limping across the bay, maybe he would be able to help them.  
As he got closer Max called out crying their need for aid, the man nodded signalling that he had heard and understood but he seemed disinclined to respond. The man was leading a pony behind him; a sturdy animal that looked like it had been well used, for tilling the land and caring supplies to and from the lighthouse and other such things.  
The man stopped a few paces from the boys nodding first at Max in a friendly but reserved manner. He repeated the gesture to Valtteri, but his eyes lingered a little longer on the younger man as if he found something curious about him, something he hadn’t been expecting to see.  
The lighthouse keeper upon closer inspection was not as old as he had first appeared, yes his eyes where care-worn and there where the marks of life on his face and hands but he couldn’t have been much older than 40. He had an intelligent look about him, sharp blue eyes and close cropped blonde hair ,hidden mostly under a red cap.  
“come” he said gesturing to the pony “get on, she’s s gentle beast”  
The man helped Valtteri on top of the animal and began to lead it back up the steep banking of the bay and back toward the house. The man said nothing more, but he kept stealing glances at Valtteri out of the corner of his eye and Max wondered why. He didn’t think his brother had noticed the other boy almost asleep now.  
When they reached the house, Jenson ran out helping Val from the pony and carrying him inside. It was only then the silent man turned back to Max.  
“why have you come here?” he asked in a strange monotone voice, a voice Max thought sounded sad, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it  
“We came here to help my brother get better” Max responded  
The strange man looked away from max and toward the house where Val had been carried, then he turned his gaze back toward the sea, not turning his attention back toward Max this time he nodded “yes” he said in a voice that to Max seemed to be awfully final “yes I suppose you have”  
He turned to leave his eyes never once leaving the sea; he now looked lost in deep thought.  
Max called out to the man “wait, might we at least know you name”  
“Kimi” the man called back as he made his way back down toward the beach, the pony following behind.


	4. the writing in the cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kimi looks out to sea and val explores the beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again i cannot thank you all enough for your comments i hope you enjoy this update

The summer was drawing to a close and Valtteri was becoming more and more aware that the days he had left with his brother before Max disappeared for school where growing numbered. Max had resisted the idea of leaving the house on the isolated bay for a boarding school in Swansea, but his fathers had insisted. There was no way Max would be able to get the education that he needed at home, not to mention that Max lacked the motivation to do schoolwork unless forced to. Fernando knew his youngest son well enough to know that Max would slim to no actual work if he where supervised by Jenson and would no doubt spend almost all of his time escaping down the beach.  
Valtteri hated the idea too; he would miss his brother something terrible. Max was the only member of their family who didn’t treat him as if he were made of glass, they still had fun together and there was something encouraging about Max’s never failing belief that his brother would get better again. It was something that kept Val going, stopped him giving up the fight against his illness, Max’s faith in him and the knowledge that losing his brother would be heart-breaking for the younger boy.  
The rest of the family had gone into town to buy Max some supplies for the next year at school, leaving Valtteri in the house alone. Jenson had told his older son that he was to under no circumstances try to make it down to the beach alone, something that Valtteri had no intention of obeying.  
The sun was roaring in through the glass, dancing around the room and beckoning Val out into it, he got himself dressed slowly, careful not to expend to much energy as he did so. Val got up with difficulty and made his way into the front garden. He felt a little better than he had the day before, his head was no longer pounding and as he breathed in the salty air he thought that he lungs took in the air here far easier than they had back in the city. His limbs felt less heavy and he had a touch more energy than he had before.  
This was encouraging; he thought to himself, it had been many a year since Valtteri had not felt like death warmed over. He looked down at the steep path that led down towards the beach, and thought that he might have been a little ambitious with this, yes he felt a little better than he had before but not nearly well enough to get down that path without the aid of his brother.  
Val sat down instead on the bench at the end of the garden. His papa had put it up the day before thinking it would be lovely to sit at the edge of the garden come cliff and look down upon the sandy shore. He sat down wrapping the blanket he had brought around his shoulders and looked up towards the lighthouse where that strange owner kept his silence.  
Valtteri noted with no surprise that the man was once again stood outside his home gazing out upon the waves. Val had seen him do that a lot, almost every time he had looked out towards the light the man was stood outside looking out to sea. It was almost like he was keeping a vigil for someone, or waiting for them to return. At any rate Val thought it a little odd, it was just water after all, and no one sane could find it as interesting as that man seemed to find it for hours on end.  
Val closed his eyes breathing in the salty air and letting it fill his lungs wishing he had the energy to get down to the beach when something nosed at the base of neck. Valtteri gasped, stood behind him was Kimi’s pony.  
The animal like the man seemed to do what it liked, Val didn’t think it was so much owned by Kimi as had decided to stay with him for a bit and help out when the mood struck him. The beast had a wild look about him and it was clear that he had never had a saddle upon his back. The pony nosed Val again and pointed down toward the beach.  
Valtteri smiled. The message seemed to be clear, “come child, I can take you down”.  
Valtteri climbed onto the pony’s back and the animal began to make its slow steady way down towards the beach. When they reached the sands Valtteri wondered if the animal would want him to get of its back, but the beast seemed quite content in leading Val about the beach, helping the young man explore where he wouldn’t have had the energy to do alone.  
The animal led him over to what looked like a series of caves stopping at one and letting Valtteri peer inside. Carved on one of the walls faded but still there carved into the soft limestone walls was a series of letterings that Val could only just work out. Written on the wall was the name of the lighthouse keeper and beneath it the name Sebastian. Val raised his eyes; there was no way that grumpy old man wrote Kimi +Sebastian on the walls. It had to be a coincidence. Val just didn’t think the man had it in him to do something like that.  
The pony had apparently had enough of the cave and led Valtteri back out onto the beach and towards the waves, the two of them racing into the surf, leaping over the waves, Valtteri hooting with laughter. In little time at all both Valtteri and the pony, who Val had decided to call Toto, where completely soaked. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so happy.  
Eventually the afternoon light began to fade and Toto seemed to decide that it was time to take his young charge back home, but as the pony turned away from the surf Val caught something out of the corner of his eyes. Something that looked like a man swimming back out to sea, and even odder, just as the man dropped off the horizon and out of view, Val could have sworn that he saw the flick of a tail.


	5. the man in the water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kimi helps with some home inprovement and valtteri meets someone on the beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first meeting i hope this doesnt dissapoint

Kimi rested his coffee cup on the step beside him and gazed out to sea. The mist of the morning rolled in of the ocean and pooled around the porch chilling Kimi to the bone and making his leg pound with a dull ache. Yet he didn’t move.  
Kimi sighed, who the hell was he kidding this day would be no different to the ones that it had followed there would be no changes there never where. Yet he could not stop himself from looking out to sea, staring at the horizon watching out for someone who would never return. Kimi drained the rest of his coffee in one deep swallow and sighed, he knew that he should bid goodbye to that part of his life, because no matter what Seb had said all those years ago it was quite clear that he had no intention of holding true to his promise.  
Kimi knew deep down that Sebastian had probably forgotten him many a year ago. He had never returned, Kimi hadn’t since that day caught so much as a glance of Sebastian, not even out of the corner of his eye. Kimi had been forgotten, and left behind.  
He wondered vaguely if he should move far away from this place, where he wouldn’t be haunted by memories of Sebastian every time he opened his eyes. Yet he could not quite bring himself to do this, it would only break his heart more than it had already broken.  
Kimi grabbed his cane from the ground beside him and pulled himself to his feet with difficulty, this weather was no good for him and it made him feel old beyond his years. He glanced down to the house nestled in the middle of the bay and thought of those living in it. The young boy Max and his brother, both it was clear had no idea what they had stumbled into or what this place would do to them. Still even after all these years Kimi was torn; had what happened been a blessing or a curse he still could not tell.  
The boy’s parents looked like they were trying to fit a new window and not having a very easy time about it either, not one of them looked like they had the slightest clue what they were doing. Kimi chuckled a little at that and decided in a rare and uncharacteristic boat of kindness to go down and offer his aid.  
Kimi whistled to his pony, the animal turned from where he was stood on the edge of the cliff and trotted over to Kimi and together they made their way down towards the cottage. The pony supported Kimi as they made their way down toward the house, slowing enough to allow Kimi to grips his mane when the path became too steep and slippery.  
In no time at all Kimi had been put to work, or rather had sat down and was ordering the other two men about with varying degrees of success. The boys seemed to find the ineptitude of their parents hilarious, Max had remarked several time that his father wouldn’t have even been able to paint a wall without Kimi’s help, and while Jenson agreed he did not particularly enjoy this being pointed out by his son  
Amongst this the pony, who apparently Valtteri had decided to christen Toto, had taken quite a liking to the young man and had allowed Valtteri to sit on his back all afternoon, helping the boy take part in the activities. Kimi thought he looked much better than he had a few days ago but he supposed that this was to be expected, yet he thought that the process was quicker this time around.  
A while later Valtteri had announced that he was going down to the beach, Max had already fallen asleep on the sofa or Kimi was sure that he would have insisted on coming to. Val’s parents had agreed under the circumstances that he was back within the hour.  
Kimi watched in bemusement as Toto once again helped the boy down to the beach, Kimi snorted dratted animal never helped him like that.  
***  
Valtteri sighed with happiness when they reached the shore, Toto heading almost immediately for the waves. Splashing about in a small bay made by a jutting out of rocks from the cliff above, hidden from the view of the house. The sun shone of the water and despite the fading summer it still seemed as warm as ever tempted, too greatly by the water, Valtteri slipped of Toto’s back but kept a firm grasp of the pony neck should his legs give out beneath him.  
No sooner had his feet touched the ground did he shoot back up, his bare feet had touched something warm and slimy, and had Valtteri not heard the cry of pain he would have assumed that he had just stood on a jelly fish. Valtteri, however knew without a shadow of a doubt that jelly fish did not yell in pain, and the certainly did not say “what the hell man”  
Valtteri looked down from his vantage point on the pony with an expression of such utter shock that for a moment he did not take in what he was seeing. A man lay in the shallow water beneath him, or rather half a man, were the man’s legs should have been a long lithe tail replaced them.  
The man was watching Valtteri with an equally curious expression, as if he were trying to gauge val’s reaction to this. Valtteri swallowed forcing himself to look again at the man who had now coiled his tail close up against himself for protection.  
He thought to himself, this man, this thing, is beautiful whatever he is. His tail long and powerful glinted gold in the sunlight, brown eyes gazed up at Valtteri and seawater glistened on the man’s dark skin. The man looked scared, watching Valtteri with trepidation as if frightened of what the young man may do.  
Valtteri slid of Toto still keeping a tight grip on the pony, his legs feeling unsure beneath him and sat down slowly in the water beside the other man and held out a hand.  
“Hi I’m Valtteri”


	6. a phantom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> someone important reterns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god i am so sorry this took so long i have been super busy and then cught a horrible cold but here it is i promise i wont make you wait so long again  
> heres some simi angst more valewis fluff next

Kimi groaned, there was someone poking his side with growing enthusiasm, he rolled over not bothering to open his eyes. “What do you want I am sleeping?”  
The bothersome morning person beside him laughed “I want you to get up sleepy head, it’s a beautiful day”  
Kimi reached out, it couldn’t be. That voice was so achingly familiar; it haunted his dreams and filled every waking moment with the thought of him. “Seb?,” he asked not quite believing that it was him, after all these years it didn’t make sense why would Seb have come back to him now  
“duh” returned the voice “who else do you think it could be, are you having secret visitors to your bedroom I ought to know about”  
Kimi smiles a little at that “as if there could be anyone but you” he said caressing the hand clasped in his with utter devotion.  
“Come on,” coxed Seb “open your eyes”  
Kimi shook his head, it always got to this point, the part where he opened his eyes and in that moment the spell would be broken. Maybe if he kept them closed for the rest of his life he could stay in this glorious moment forever. “I can’t, if I open them you’ll go”  
Sebastian laughed his lips ghosting over Kimi’s “don’t be silly, I would never leave you”  
“you said that before” Kimi responded “you always say that and you always go” Kimi peeled apart the lids of his eyes and sure enough his lover had gone and Kimi was once more left alone, Kimi curled in on himself screwing eyes his shut and willing back the phantom of Sebastian.  
Kimi felt the hot tears slide down his cheeks, his chest felt as though it were filled with ice. It was time to accept that Sebastian was never going to return. Kimi decided that it was finally time to go, when the next lighthouse keeper came to take over the position, this time Kimi would not scare him away with threats and tales of the lighthouse. He would instead calmly pack his bags and bid farewell to the place that had only brought him heart break and loneliness.  
Kimi heaved himself out of bed his leg screaming in protest as he tried to stand, he grabbed the cane from its resting place beside the bed and made his way over to the window. The sun was only just peaking over then horizon and warming the sand on the bay. Maybe a walk along the beach would clear his thoughts and put him in a better mood for the day.  
Kimi pulled a heavy jacket on over his nightclothes and made his way from the house and down to the bay. Toto walked beside him, slowing the pace and letting Kimi lean on him more than usual, the house picking up on the sadness that seemed to seep from every pore of Kimi’s being.  
They made their way to the rock pool on the edge of the surf and Kimi leaned back against them letting the sun soak into his sore limbs. A moment or two later the sleep deprived man fell back into a fitful sleep, the pony standing watch beside his friend.

***  
A way out in the surf a man watched with interest the sleeping form of the lighthouse keeper, there was something familiar about him. The man swam closer to get a better look at the sleeping human; he was beautiful the man thought, with soft blond hair and shoulders that looked like they carried the weight of the world.  
He frowned, the older man looked tired with lines of wear around his face and bags beneath his eyes, so heavy and purple such to indicate that the man had not been sleeping well for quite some time.  
For some reason that made his sad, the longer he looked at the sleeping man the more that he could not shake the feeling that he knew him, it was not quite a feeling of Déjà vu rather a feeling of longing, a desire to run his finger tips of the man’s face and capture his lips in his own. He reached out with one webbed hand dating his fingertips over the man’s face.  
The man grumbled in his sleep and he quickly withdrew his hand for fear that he would wake him up, maybe he would come back here often the beautiful human, maybe he would be able to see him again. He wanted to find out what this man meant to him and why he stirred up such feelings in him.  
Who are you, he thought, why don’t I want to leave you.  
He was scared to stay any longer should the human wake up but something in him wanted the other man to know that he had been here. He ran his hand over the neckless that hung low on his chest. He had possessed it for so long that he no longer remember where he had gotten it from, it had just always been a part of him and he had never so much as thought of getting it replaced or changing it in anyway for some reason the very thought was unfathomable. With a heavy heart he slipped of the beloved neckless and placed it on the rock beside the man hoping that it wouldn’t fall and get washed out to sea.  
He felt the water residing around his tale and knew that his time had run out the sea was returning and so must he. He smiled to himself, he would come here again.

***  
Kimi awoke slowly to the feel of something nudging at his head, Kimi opened one eyelid ad looked at the pony with utter distain.  
“I was sleeping” he informed the animal, Toto looked as if he couldn’t care less what Kimi was doing, he wanted his breakfast.  
Kimi was about to get up from the rock and begin the task of pulling himself to his feet when he noticed something one the rock beside him shining in the morning sun. Kimi picked it up his hand shaking, it couldn’t be.  
Kimi’s eyes filled with tears ,he had been here, he couldn’t have been dreaming not this time. He pulled himself up, ignoring the bemused look of the horse and began to wade out into the surf calling out his name.  
“Sebastian!! Sebastain”


	7. will you come again?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> val and lewis get to know each other and lewis make a decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> set just before the last chapter and waaaayy fluffier than the last

The merman watched him with a curious expression. Valtteri kept his arm out stretched a small smile on his face. Eventually the fear seemed to fade from the face of the other man and his took Val’s hand in his.  
“I’m Lewis”  
Val’s face broke into a smile at the small triumph of getting the other man’s name. Valtteri wondered why he had so easily accepted the existence of the man before him; these such things just quite simply did not exist. There were no such things as mermaids and yet here one sat before him. Val supposed it must be the drugs, he was on some quite powerful medicines and he supposed that this was just them taking an effect on his mind. Heck Val had been ill for such a great part of his life it no longer surprised when another symptom joined the ever growing list.  
Clearly the man’s thoughts where along the same pattern as Val’s. “You are rather calm about this, as far as I know your kind don’t really acknowledge the existence of mine, have things changed recently?”  
Val shook his head “no not really, you’re the stuff of fairy tales, no offence” he added as an afterthought, “people don’t really think you’re real. Heck I don’t think you’re real”  
Lewis grinned a little at that “how can you not think I am real, I’m sat right in front of you”  
Val shrugged and explained why he thought he was seeing merpeople to the other man. Lewis laughed “you want me to prove I’m real”  
Valtteri raised an eyebrow “yeah and just how are you going to do that”  
An evil grin spread across Lewis face “like this” he said his hand stanching out and tickling the sensitive skin at Valtteri’s side. Val howled with laughter and flipped down onto the sand trying to escape Lewis’ relentless hand.  
Breathless with laughter he conceded “fine fine fine, your real, god please stop”  
Lewis finally relented looking down and the breathless young man, blond hair now sticking out in angles and covered completely in sand and seawater. He looked better now that he had before, he had been paler when he had sat down in the water but now his face had a touch of colour in it and his eyes where brighter than before.  
The boy smiled up at Lewis and he felt his heart stop a moment, Lewis had not seen many humans before so he didn’t have much to go by on comparison, but he rather thought that this particular human was rather better looking than the rest. Yet there was something that Valtteri had said that had confused Lewis, he had said that he thought he was seeing him because of the drugs he was on, Lewis wondered what those where and if all humans had to take them.  
When Valtteri had pulled himself back into a sitting position Lewis asked him a little quietly at first not wanting to seem stupid but Valtteri didn’t seem to mind.  
“no” he had answered to Lewis’ question “no all humans have to take them , some of us do. But a lot of the time we have to take them because where not well, some of us take them for fun I guess but not me. I take them because I have to, to stop the pain”  
Lewis frowned a little at that he didn’t like the sound of that, he didn’t like the thought of Valtteri being in pain, “why do you hurt?”  
Val smiled a little at that, but it wasn’t the happy carefree smile of a few moments ago, the smile seemed strained and his eyes where downcast as if he were trying to hide what he felt. “I’m sick Lewis , heck more than that, I’m dying.” He shrugged “it’s nothing new, I’ve been dying for as long as I can remember, and the worst part of it no one knows what wrong so they can’t even try to make me better and well… you don’t want to hear all this too sad for first meetings.”  
Lewis shook his head “I don’t mind”  
Valtteri raised his eyes and Lewis heart stopped in it tracks at the sight of the water filling Val’s eyes, he pulled the young man against him and felt the salty water fall from Valtteri eyes, Lewis thought this unusual too. Did all humans have the sea flowing through their bodies or was this boy special.  
Lewis turned to ask Val, but when he looked down he saw that the young man had fallen asleep against his shoulder. Lewis smiled and wrapped an arm around the man sleeping against his side. Valtteri looked so peaceful in his sleep and in that moment Lewis made up his mind that he would do anything in his power to help the boy.  
Lewis was so caught up in his own thought that he didn’t catch the sight of Sebastian watching him from further down the bay, making a decision of his own. Sebastian hung his head at the sight of Lewis with his arms around the young human.  
The sight of it made his heart hurt, though he had no idea why. He kept coming back to this place though he had no recollection of it. His hand came to rest over his neckless as he glanced up towards the lighthouse. He watched as the lighthouse keeper made his way down to the beach. Sebastian felt his heart pick up a few beats the closer the man got toward the beach. Sebastian swam closer the sight of the two young boys slipping out of sight.  
The light came up over the bay and Valtteri slept on his breath coming easier than it had before, the dreams not plaguing his sleep as they did every other night. Lewis ran his hand over Valtteri’s back feeling the soft rise and fall of his chest. Eventually the tide began to turn and Lewis knew it was time to go, he shook Val slowly awake. The blond looked up at him a bleary look of sleep on his face.  
“I have to go” Lewis said by way of explanation.  
“Will you come again?”  
Lewis smiled “I don’t think I could stay away”


	8. well that's not going to go well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max gets caught in the rain and Val goes to hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you like this i wnted to have a chapter between max and kimi  
> thank you all so much for the comments i cant say how much they mean to me!! xx

Max had been left alone for the day his parents had taken his brother to the city for a hospital appointment and Max was bored. He started to make his way up towards the lighthouse wondering if the pony his brother had made friends with would be around. Max drew in a deep breath the salty sea air filling his lungs, he smiled, he loved this place. It was wild and freeing and Max dreaded the thought that he must soon leave it. School started in but 2 weeks and he hated the thought that not only did he have to leave this place but he also had to leave his brother, he worried that when he came back that his brother would not be here to greet him.  
Every time that he let his brother out of his sight he thought then same thing, time was Valtteri was so precious and Max was very aware that it was limited. Every year that seemed to go by a little more of his brother would slip away there would be one more thing that Val could not do, one more thing that they all had to worry about, one more chance that his brother would leave him forever. The thought of losing Valtteri scared Max, he had long since come to terms with the fact but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt him, sometime when he knew that no one was about he would fall asleep to his own tears.  
Valtteri meant everything to Max, his brother was the rock on to which Max had built his life, Val always had the best advice and he was always there for him no matter what he had done or what mess he had gotten himself into Valtteri would always help him get out of it and make sure that there parents never found out.  
Max was still hopeful however this place seemed to be good for his brother Valtteri had not been nearly so ill since they had come here there where even some days that Max entertained the thought that his brother would actually get better.  
Max found himself stood on the edge of the cliff looking out to sea. The waves broke around the headland and crashed against the rocks in a froth of white and blue, Max watched the water letting it mesmerize him and allowing all thoughts of ,losing his brother to slip from his mind.  
“Thinking of throwing yourself from it?” came a voice from behind him  
Max spun around to be faced with the amused expression of the lighthouse keeper, he quirked and eyebrow at max “don’t worry I sometimes think about doing it myself”  
That thought had not so much as crossed Max’s mind and he thought it odd the way that the older man spoke of it with such casual ease. Max thought that the lighthouse keeper looked unhappy he had surmised the same thing the last time he had spoken with him, when the older man had helped them back down on the beach. He wanted to say something, what he didn’t quite know, but didn’t think that Kimi would be the kind of person who would appreciate it.  
Max felt the first drops of rain on his face and thought that he had better start making his way back home, he smiled awkwardly at the blond man stood in the doorway looking curiously at Max. yet before Max could take so much as a step the heavens opened and the rain began to pour around the boy.  
Kimi frowned up at the sky almost as if it had personally insulted him “get inside” he called Max throwing the door open behind him.  
Max scampered into the lighthouse pulling his thin jacket tight around him. He looked around shivering, the room was small but cosy, a small dining table was placed in the centre of what looked like a small kitchen come living room. A fire blazed in the corner of the room and armchair sat face against the grate. Kimi was knelt down beside the fire place loading the pyre with another few logs.  
He beckoned max closer and pulled up a chair for him so that he could warm himself beside the fire, Max looked up at the mantle above the fire as Kimi busied himself with making some hot tea for the both of them.  
In a small picture frame was an image of a young man, a wide smile of his face, stood in the waves blond hair sticking out an odd angles, he was supported by a younger version of Kimi, his arm tight around the younger man a small smile on his face too. Max thought that the picture must be at least 20 years old yet it still held a place of honour on the mantle and though there was a thick layer of dust on almost everything else on the mantle there was not a speck on this picture it was almost as if this particular object was handled on a regular basis. Max wondered who this man and why he was so important to the grumpy lighthouse keeper.  
Max wanted to ask the other man but didn’t think it would go down to well; instead he studied the picture a little more. If he wasn’t very much mistaken that beach in the picture was the very same one that Max looked at every morning when he opened his curtains. He wondered at that, clearly Kimi had been here for a very long time, yet he seemed to hate the place. Well maybe hate was a little of a strong term but he certainly didn’t seem to like the place.  
Kimi sat down in the other arm chair, Max saw as he sat he winced stretching his leg out before him massaging it with his spare hand. A mug of tea was passed to Max and the two sat in silence for a few long moments.  
Kimi turned to max a few moments later “what are you doing out here anyways where’s your brother”  
Max took a sip of his tea “they took him to the city to see a doctor.”  
Kimi raised an eyebrow “well that's not going to go well”


	9. kimi knew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> val get sick and max find out something about kimi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry this has been so long christmas was mad and my computer broke but heres an update i hope you all enjoy

The further inland they drove the more unwell Valtteri began to feel. To begin with it had been at worst a small headache now he could barely hear through the pounding beat of his head and his chest throbbed, Valtteri wondered vaguely though the pain if this was what it felt like to die. He was curled in against the agony his breath coming in little starts and gasps.  
“it hurts” he breathed  
Fernando’s face was ashen as he turned to his husband “drive faster dammit we have to get to the hospital, we can’t be more than 5 miles away now”  
That should have been should have been reassuring but all Val could feel was the horror that he would be yet another five miles from home, he had felt better when he was at home now he was convinced that he was far less than five miles away from death.  
Then quite without warning the car stopped.  
Fernando turned to Jenson “what wrong is it the car, I’ll call an ambulance.”  
Jenson didn’t answer instead fingering a neckless hidden beneath the folds of his shirt he pursed his lips his brow furrowed a look of fevered recognition in his eyes. “We have to go back”  
Fernando nearly fainted out of shock “have you completely lost your mind we need to get our son to a hospital”  
Jenson shook his head instead swinging the car around and driving back toward the bay at now well over 120, Valtteri felt a brief flash of relief before the pain finally became far too much for him to bear and he fell into the inky blackness of unconsciousness.  
***  
Kimi and Max sat out on his small beach overlooking the cliffs cups of hot coffee held in their hands. Kimi found he quite liked the company of the younger boy, he was clever and had a good mind about him, he saw things and took the time to truly observe them. Yet he knew when to hold his piece. Kimi knew that he had seen the picture of Sebastian on the mantel piece yet Max had the tact not to speak of it. Max had seen a lot thought Kimi, far too much for a boy of his age. He had learnt very fast to be older than his years, to take on responsibility and not to complain, to be independent of others.  
Sitting there looking out to the waves made him think, had he really held Sebastian’s neckless in his hands, had it been true or was the relic simply a possession of someone else. God he missed him, nothing had been the same since he had left. Kimi was beginning to feel old; he felt it in his bones, in the cold that seemed to seep into them. His years much like Max’s far outstripped him, they felt far more numerous than they were.  
The quite of the afternoon was interrupted by the roar of an engine, Kimi raised an eyebrow wondering who in their right mind would be driving at what sounded like 200 miles an hour on a road like this. Max was clearly thought the same as he looked of his shoulder with a look of shock.  
“That’s my dads’ car!” he exclaimed “what are they doing back so soon”  
Kimi groaned “I knew this would happen “he grabbed his cane from the floor beside his feet and haled himself upright, his knee bent at an odd angel as it attempted to support his weight.  
Max hurried over to the car as Jenson flung open the driver’s side door and jumped out running over to Valtteri’s door pulling him into his arms. Fernando jumped out a mere moment later, face red with anger and a look of fire in his eyes  
“I hate you, I hate you so much, we should be at the hospital, if our son dies because of this so help me god I will divorce you” Fernando was all but screaming by the end and Max looked upon the whole scene with a look of terrified horror in his eyes  
Fernando had opened his mouth to let out what would surely been an impressive amount of cuss words when his speech was interrupted by a quiet voice from behind Max  
“Getting him to a hospital would not have done him any good and you know it” he said understanding in his eye.  
Max spun to him “and just what the hell is that supposed to mean, my brother is not going to die!?”  
Kimi nodded “come with me”  
Instead of leading the family back toward the house as Max had been expecting him to do, he instead made his way over to the edge of the cliff where the path toward the beach began. Jenson followed him ignoring the hands of Fernando who reached out to try to stop him.  
Kimi despite his leg made swift progress down toward the beach, Jenson hot on his heels. Max wiped the tears from his cheeks and made to follow, he didn’t understand what was happening but for some reason Kimi did.  
They reached the beach but Kimi did not stop there, he was making a beeline toward a small cove hidden by the outcropping cliffs, he turned to Jenson his son clasped in his arms tears running down his cheeks.  
“lay him down” instructed Kimi  
Jenson knelt down in the surf laying his son down resting his head on Kimi good leg safely out of the water.  
“What will you do?” asked Jenson  
Kimi gave him a withering look “I will do what I can, but you knew this would happen you should not have taken him away from here you know how this must end”  
Jenson turned his back and made his way up the beach not seeing his younger son hidden behind an oversized rock. Kimi didn’t look up from the boy in his lap, instead sinking one hand into the water and resting the other on the forehead of the sleeping boy and Max could have sworn that as Kimi lowered his hand into the water it rose to meet him.


	10. magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max spies on Kimi and lewis finds the truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god im so sorry this took so long ive been so busy

Kimi bowed his head exhaustion spreading through him “I have done all I can it is up to him now” Kimi rested one of Val’s hands in the shallows of the water breathing out slowly. “Jenson you cannot keep denying what is happening to him, you know what must be done.”  
Jenson nodded a tear sliding down his face “I know, but I can’t bare to do it, I cannot bare to lose my son”  
Kimi nodded in understanding “what must be done must be done, I understand my friend, it is a horrible choice but one that none the less one that must be made.” He gave the other man a long look “ and I think that you should tell Max what is going on the boy is far more intelligent that you give him credit for he knows that there is something going on he knows that there is something happening to his brother”  
Jenson gave his friend a long look “even Val does not know the sacrifice that must be made”  
Kimi signed “you need to be honest with them they deserve to know what is happening.”  
“I know” Jenson sat down on the sand next to his old friend “you do a damn good job of pretending that we have never met before”  
Kimi gave him a long look “sometimes I wish that we never had”  
Jenson nodded “have you seen him since then?”  
Kimi shook his head “not even out of the corner of my eye, who knows what magic was at work maybe that was part of the sacrifice. Who knows? Or maybe he has just found a better life and wishes not to come back here.”  
“He loved you Kimi, you know he did, he loved you with all his heart” Jenson spoke softly, tears in his eyes knowing that sooner or later Kimi’s grief would become his own.  
“Maybe, maybe not either way it wasn’t enough was it. He is gone and here I remain, cursed to guard this god forsaken place until I no longer have the strength to take breath” Kimi looked out to sea “we make the only choice we can, though it will part us from them forever”  
Jenson nodded “shall I take him to the house”  
Kimi shook his head “he ought to stay here for a while, I should too, I have not done such magic in many a year.”  
Jenson turned and walked up toward the house “shall I send down the pony”  
Kimi nodded “I don’t think either of us will have the strength to get up that hill tonight”  
Jenson disappeared down the beach, Max dipped back down behind the cover of the rock. What on earth was going on, he wondered if somewhere down the line he had his head because he was certain that he father and the lighthouse keeper where talking about magic as if it wasn’t just the stuff of fairy tales.  
Max thought for the first time if there wasn’t more to this place that the others where letting on, and just what the hell was Kimi. What was his job here, he spoke of this place as if he were bound to it by some duty.   
Max resolved in that moment that he would find out what was happening to his brother and what the strange sad truth of this lonely place was. Max sighed and made his way back to the house as soon as he was sure that no one would be watching the beach. He glanced at Kimi his eyes where closed and his brother was still unconscious. Max made his way up the path toward the lighthouse, something told him that if he wanted to find out the truth that the light house was the place to start looking for it.  
Kimi felt the water pulsing around him and relaxed into it; his magic had been too long dormant. He had neither the reason nor inclination to use it. After all it had not done either of them any good in the end. He eased his eye open slowly a small smile spreading over his face  
“You can come out, I know you are watching” Kimi raised his eyebrow at the young merman peeking out from behind a rock a small way out in the sea.  
The young man swam towards the beach coming to a stop and propping himself up on the sand. “Guardian Raikkonen”  
Kimi rolled his eyes and did not dignify that with a response.  
Lewis looked down at the boy asleep on the older man’s leg “what wrong with him?”  
Kimi gave the young merman a long look “you know Lewis don’t ask stupid questions”  
Lewis grinned at the sulky response, “we’re are so lucky having you as our guardian”  
“Piss of Lewis” came the response  
The merman laughed “I ought to tell you by the way, you were being spied on, that other boy the human one was watching you”  
Kimi swore under his breath dammit he was going to have to do the damage control again. Lewis ignored the muttered cursing laying his hand on the younger man’s cheek. He looked up at Kimi   
“How long has he got?”  
Kimi shrugged a month at most but spoke instead “ if we don’t find someone to help him, he will be lost”  
Lewis shook his head “you haven’t used your magic in far too long old man, can’t you tell there will be no need to go down the road, he is not like that, can’t you tell?”  
Kimi closed his eyes laying one hand in the water and the other on the forehead on the unconscious boy. The thoughts where foggy at first and he couldn’t put his finger on what the magic was telling him, god was he out of practice. Kimi let out a breath as the thought became clear his head, no it couldn’t be.  
He opened his eyes in shock, his gaze meeting that of the young merman. The young man nodded, “I knew it since first I set eyes on him he is kin”


	11. he was like your brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> max finds an old book and kimi decides he should know the truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im baaaaccckk god im so sorry these chapters take so long to update

Max pushed open the door to the lighthouse, Kimi had left it unlocked. It was hardly surprising it wasn’t as if this place was riddled with crime, and besides it was at least a 2 hour walk to the closest thing that would resemble civilization and no one was going to waste that kind of effort breaking into a lighthouse lived in by an old man.  
Max made his way inside gazing around the small living room light by the smouldering embers in the fire place. He looked around the décor of the place was sparse. He didn’t know what he was expecting to find here but there was precious little of anything in the house.  
Max made his way upstairs feeling really rather awkward now; he wondered if he had imagined everything at the beach, heavens know he was stressed out enough. He wished his phone had connection out here, he really wished he could talk to Daniel right now. Dan would probably laugh at him thought Max but either way it would be nice to have someone to talk about all of this to.  
The upstairs of the lighthouse keepers cottage was little more than a room with a bed in its centre, a single bed that looked strangely out of place in the room. It was clear that only one side of the bed was slept on. Max sighed there was nothing in here he was wasting his time. He reached for a book lying on the coffee table next to the side of the bed that was clearly not slept on. He ran his hands over the cover, a thick layer of dust lay upon it, the book had clearly been there for many a year.   
The pages where yellowed, and about half way through a section of the book was marked with a dog-eared page. Max watched as the rivulets of dust ran over the edge of the book and floated down toward the floor. The light from the fading sun set caught the fine particles and illuminated them as the fell gently toward the floor. The larger of the dust bunnies fell faster than the rest, the majority of them settling on the ground about Max’s feet a few falling through the gaps in the wooden floor.   
Max pulled his phone out of his pocket hoping to catch a picture of the dust fragmenting the light, forgetting he also had a collection of spare change in there. As he pulled his phone from his pocket a 2 pound coin and a 5 pound note fell from there confines slipping between his grasping fingers and between the gaps in the floor.  
Max swore going down on all fours to try to find the errant money, dammit but he couldn’t see anything. He turned on the flashlight on his phone shining it between the gaps in the floor hoping to find at the very least the five pound note. Max frowned there seemed to be something else peering out from the gaps in the floor, it looked a bit like a book but from Max’s limited vantage point he could be certain. Max put his phone down on the ground his finger nails scraping at the floorboard trying to work it loose to get a look at what Kimi had hidden beneath the boards.   
Eventually he managed to pry the wood free, beneath the panel lay several books and something that looked like a diary. The dairy was buried beneath a tome that looked like it could have fallen out of the middle ages. It was heavy too, Max placed if on the bed and rummaged around the space to see if there was any more. He pulled out a stack of letters and placed those on the bed beside the book, from the papers something heavy clanged onto the floor beside Max falling back into the small space beneath the floor. Max glanced down at it wondering what it was that he had managed to drop.   
A gold band lay in the dusty space; Max picked it up running a finger over it engraved in it was a name, Sebastian. What was happening here? Just who the hell hid a wedding band beneath the floor of their house? Max placed it back, the tarnished metal standing out against the darkened wood.  
Max sat down on the bed taking the book into his hands opening the first page and glancing through it . Strangely enough it was simply a list of names, max wondered if they were old owners of the book. Yet there where so many, why would so many people have held the same book. The list was titled ;names of the watchers; whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.  
Max searched the list finding Kimi’s name somewhere near the bottom, Max kept looking wondering how many others where named here. Then he came to a name that almost made him drop the book with utter shock at the very bottom and written in it unmistakable messy scrawl was a name that Max knew well  
Daniel Riccardo.  
“I see you found the book” came a voice from the door way  
Kimi glanced over at the boy clasping the tome in his hand looking at it with a mixture of disbelief and utter bemusement on his face. Kimi gripped his cane and walked closer, his leg was hurting more than usual the use of his magic after so long had really taken it out of him, his knee almost buckled as his pushed himself away from the wall .He made his way over to the bed sitting down on the unused side next to the young man.   
The boy looked up at him “what is happening here, who are you really, who is Sebastian, and what is happening to my brother”  
Kimi looked the boy over, he supposed someone may as well be honest with him since it was abundantly clear that, that someone would not be his father.  
“I shall tell you of Sebastian, the rest will make more sense after that, you see he was like your brother…


	12. you lose everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> val talks to lewis and find out the truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update that's not like me also be kind if you see any typos this was done on my phone because my laptop is dead

Valtteri awoke to a silent house. By the look of it the pale morning had long since faded away into the stark brightness of the afternoon. He wondered where his parents where and where max had gotten to. He ran a hand over his face he vaguely remembered what had happened the day before. They had been heading to the hospital when Val had fallen ill. He wondered then why he was in his own bed and not inside the sterile uncomfortable one at the ward in Swansea. Valtteri swung his legs over the side of the bed experimenting with the feel of them. Surprised, that they seemed to hold his weight. He felt far better now as if the pain and illness of the day before had fell away upon the sight of the Sandy stores and rolling waves.  
He pushed open the window as wide as it would go revelling in the smell of the salty air, he would go down to the beach he thought nothing made him feel so well as soaking his feet in the cool water and gazing out into the endless blue vastness. He slipped on a light jacket and tiptoe out of the cottage and down the winding path. Once his feet touched the sand he let out a whoop of joy and ran as fast as his feet would carry him towards the sea.  
His feet touched the edges of the surf and despite it being only April the water felt warm and inviting beneath his toes. Val shrugged throwing caution to the wind and diving straight into the water as soon as he was waist high in it. The water smoothed around him, Val smiled enjoying the feel of the waves around his shoulders. He flipped onto his back laying on a bed of water gazing up at the grey spring skies. He allowed his body to float out further into the sea, something about the water felt comforting as if he knew that he were safe here. Valtteri watched the horizon peeking out over the edge of his toes. He smiled as he saw the outline of a familiar tale poke out over the bows of the waves and swim closer to where Val was floating. He flipped back onto his front as lewis’ face peaked out over the cusp of the waves.  
“ hey lew what are you doing here I didn’t expect to see you again"  
Lewis smiled swimming over to a rock poking it head put of the depths, valtteri followed him resting his arm on a rock close to where lewis had pulled himself out of the water.  
“ why didn't you expect to see me again, why would I miss the chance to talk to you again Val”  
Valtteri blushed hiding his face beneath his hand. Lewis laughed he seemed to take pleasure in having embarrassed Val.  
After a moment though he seemed to decide to take pity on the poor embarrassed human boy “ I see your feeling a lot better" he said running a hand over vals where it rested on the rock closest to lewis.  
Valtteri smiled grateful for the change on topic “ yeah" he said “it something about this place I can’t put my finger on it put it makes me feel better I feel almost normal. I haven’t felt this good in so many years but... “ here he paused not quite knowing how to explain to lewis what had happened the day before.  
“but? “ lewis prompted with a strange look on his face.  
“ yesterday when my parents where taking me to the hospital for a visit I got really sick the further away from here the worse I seemed to get it was horrible I thought I as going to die, but then I woke up here and everything seemed to be fine. I'm not I’ll if anything I feel better than I did before. But it doesn’t make sense why would they drive me back here instead of taking me to the emergency room"  
Lewis gave the boy a strange look. Valtteri thought it odd it was almost as if he where deciding on whether or not to tell Val something, his mouth kept opening and closing as if he where struggling to find the right words.  
Eventually he asked “ what do you know about merpeople? “  
Valtteri shrugged “not a lot really only what I have read in books and seen in Disney movies and I have a feeling that none of that is going to be terribly accurate.”  
Lewis laughed “no i suppose not, well you see there’s something special about this place why people come here and why people like Kimi stay you see merpeople have this gift. We can heal mortals in exchange of the ability to walk on land"  
“What do you mean" frowned Val not really understanding what it was his friend was saying.  
“ we take humans into the sea but we can only do it when they reach the very end of there mortal life, we take them into the sea and gift them with the life of the water in exchange we get there legs so to speak , we gain the ability to live on both land and in water" when he paused for breath he was broken of by the excited voice of Val  
“ do you think that’s why they brought me here my family so I could become one of you" He asked  
Lewis nodded “ i think so few people know of us any more so I guess it becoming rarer and rarer that we perform such magic, few people know even how to do it anymore. “  
Val looked worried “but there are still some, right?"  
Lewis nodded “ sure and we have kimi anyway he knows everything I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew how to do the spell himself"  
Valtteri splattered “What you mean the old lighthouse keeper is one of you, ?”  
Lewis shrugged “well sort of he’s a guardian someone who keeps our secret and protects the places we live, Kimi is old school though and he’s powerful. From one of the old guardian families, the last who still possess any magic. “  
Val looked at lewis with an expression of utter shock but not as if he didn’t believe what lewis was saying, “you’re taking this remarkably well” said lewis with a smile  
Val shrugged “ I’m not entirely certain this qualifies as sane but I guess I believe you heck and that’s better than believing I’m going to die"  
Lewis gripped calls hand “you're not going to die I won’t allow it"  
Val smiled “ but this all seems to good to be true getting well becoming one of you what’s the catch.”  
Lewis winced “there’s a catch and it’s a pretty big one, you forget your human life, everyone everything disappears. Even the one you love most will be as if you had never seen them"


	13. I think your brother may different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kimi remembers seb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I space out these updates don't I sorry again guys also this was typed on my phone because my laptop is dead so please excuse my errors

Kimi sighed “ I met him on my very first day here I had been assigned here as a guardian “ he paused holding up a hand at Max's unasked question “ I will explain what they are in a moment one thing at a time please max" max nodded at that though he was desperate to know why his friends name had been written in that book.  
“he was walking along the beach his arms around a small blond woman I thought at first was his girlfriend, I was sat on the bottom of the pathway leading to the beach a cigarette in one hand wondering who I had pissed of so much as to end up in a place such as this. As they came closer I saw that they were not embracing rather the girl was helping him walk. He was beautiful the most beautiful man I had ever seen, thin and worn as he was I had never seen anyone so radiant. I stood as they came closer moving out of the way to let them get up the path. But then whatever strength the boy had left seemed to leave him in a rush and his knees collapsed, the girl cried out trying to hold him up without much success.  
I grabbed him digging my cane into the ground trying to keep us both upright, it worked just about”  
Kimi closed his eyes then seeming to drift back in time before Max's eyes. His voice growing quite so much so that Max had to lean forward in his seat to hear what Kimi was saying  
***  
The girl cussed “ dammit Sebastian what did I say about this I told you that this was a terrible idea and still you insisted now how the hell am I going to get you back up there, of all the bad ideas"  
The man smiled at his friend “you are the one who agreed to take me down here Hanna you are as much to blame for this as I am"  
Kimi smiled at the bickering pair “ I don’t know how much help I will be but you can take my cane if you like might help to have something more sturdy than your friend to lean on.” Hanna had glared at him as he handed the cane over to the younger man. Sebastian however had smiled  
“Thank you....”  
“Kimi my name’s Kimi “  
Sebastian smiled and once again his whole face light up with the beauty of it, Kimi’s heart stuttered and his throat closed around the word's he had been trying to say. There was just something about Sebastian that made him lose all sense of time and reason.  
Eventually he managed to ease out “ just can someone please bring it back down again, if you don’t it will be me that’s stuck down here overnight. “  
Sebastian smiled “ I'll make sure that Hanna brings it down to you" he didn't ask about Kimi's leg or how he had injured it that we usually the first thing on anyone’s mind, people had the tendency to see not the person but the disability and it infuriated him. Yet Sebastian had not even spared Kimi's leg a glance until he himself had brought it up.  
Kimi sat down on the rocks at the bottom of the path, without the aid of his cane it being far too difficult to stand. Hanna nodded to Kimi, “I will be back in a few minutes ok"  
Kimi nodded it wasn't as if he had much to do, it’s not as if there was ever much to do here. As Sebastian and Hanna made there way up the path towards the house on the cusp of the cliff Kimi settled down in the sunshine watching the gulls dip and sway in the breeze their haunting cries echoing over the bay.  
Half an hour or so later Hanna made her way back down toward the beach Kimi's cane in hand. She passed it to him with a wary look. “ he wants you to come to dinner tonight”  
Kimi thought about it he supposed it would be okay and it wasn’t as if there was anything even resembling edible back at the lighthouse, the last time that Kimi had done a grocery shop had been nearly 3 weeks ago, he had been living of marmite sandwiches for almost a week now.  
He shrugged he thought it would be nice to spend more time in the company of Sebastian even if it also meant enduring the company of his formidable friend. “sure, I'll come"  
Hanna looked him up and down “Sebastian is sick , you should know that he doesn’t need someone to mess him around. He likes you I can tell, Seb is like an open book with these things . But he’s really sick kimi, in a nutshell we came here to let him die in peace “  
****  
Kimi looked back up at a gobsmacked max “ I fell in love with him, I had never met anyone like him and he was wonderful. A bright light in my dull world. But as he got sicker the more I understood that this was ephemeral, that I had to let him go"  
“ he didn’t die did he?” gasped max  
Kimi shook his head “no I knew how to save him, but I knew that I had to give him up forever you see mer-people have a magic, the may save a human on the brink of death. They may heal the mortal in exchange for the ability to walk on land . The catch is once that exchange has been made the mortal forgets their human life, everyone they love swept away by the sea. I gave him up forever so that he may live.”  
Kimi gave him a look “ your brother I think may be different, “ Kimi reached for a book on the shelf handing it to Max, I think your brother may be one of them"


End file.
